Many map applications that run either on a desktop computer or on a wireless communications device currently enable a user to send (e-mail) a location to a recipient. Typically, this is accomplished by selecting a “Send Location” or “Email Location” function from a menu. The message conveying the location to the recipient typically includes the hyperlink (or URL) for the web page of the web-based map, the e-mail address of the sender (or the sender's name/alias) as well as a brief, generic statement addresses to the recipient to the effect that a map or location has been received and that the map is accessible by the recipient by simply clicking on the hyperlink. Some examples are MapQuest™, Yahoo! Maps™, myTELUS™. As a further refinement, some of these map applications enable the user to compose a brief personalized message to provide further information about the map, e.g. “This is where I live” or “Meet me for lunch here”. Some of these applications include a subject line as well to enable the user type personalized text for a subject line. One shortcoming of this current mapping technology is that the message conveying the location does not provide any information about the location unless the user takes the time to compose a personalized message.
A further deficiency is that these map applications were designed primarily for use on desktop computers, which have no GPS capabilities. When using any of these prior-art map applications on a mobile device equipped with GPS tracking, the application is unaware as to whether it is merely sending a map location or whether it is sending the device's current location.
Therefore, an improved method of generating a message containing a link to a map location, that overcomes one or more of these deficiencies, remains highly desirable.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.